Your Dreads and your job

Walk down the street, flip through a magazine or watch a program on television, and the variety of hairstyles will leave you amazed. No doubt hair styling has been taken to a new level, and most are quite attractive. One of the more popular styles now causing much debate is dreadlocks. Should your dreadlocks or any other hairstyle affect you ability to win a job?{{more}}

Although dreadlocks is just another hairstyling option for many, there was a time when the only people who wore dreadlocks were Rastafarians and mainstream society then did not want to associate with this style of living.

When companies begin the search to add a new member to their team, they have a standard that they expect a potential worker to meet. They want someone who is competent in the job and can work well with others. It is also important to the organization that you fit into their company culture and your hairstyle could be a factor that some companies consider.

Is it fair? No, it is not fair, but the old cliché says it best: “Life is not fair.” When you apply for a job, you are basically agreeing to play by the rules of that organization. You don’t have to like the rules, just play them for the 8 hours that you are there. The company has the right to decide who works for them and you have a right to decide which company best meets your needs.

Yes, your chance of getting a job increases if you do not have dreadlocks. The choice is a simple one and you decide because you cannot change the job market. Which is more important, the dreadlocks or the job? If you want to grow dreadlocks, find an industry that accepts the style, like the entertainment other artistic industries. However, if you want to enter an industry that is known to be conservative, then you must play by their rules and change your style.

Karen Hinds is “The Workplace Success Expert.” For a FREE SPECIAL REPORT on Avoiding Career Killers in the Workplace, send an email to info@workplacesuccess.com

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